Low price, unregulated sales are reasons behind high demand for drug-laced sweets: Cops

“The drug-laced sweets or bhang golees is a very common intoxicant among certain communities and even respectable families consume this ball during Holi festival celebration. Though the consumption of cannabis is prohibited in the country, ‘bhang golees’ and ‘bhang lassi’ are openly sold in many areas. After the arrival of the migrant population these golees became popular in Chennai also,” a senior police official told DT Next.

Chennai police woke up to the new-found addiction among Chennai youth when a woman lodged a complaint against a shop owner, who had sold drug-laced sweets to her grandson. When police raided the shop, they found a packet full of candies and confirmed the presence of cannabis in them after tests at a Government lab. 

Police said the shop owner had brought the candies from a manufacturer in Kolkata and sold them for Rs 15 per piece. “The shopkeeper knew that he was selling drug-laced sweets. He said there was a good demand for them among the migrant workers and that was why he was selling them,” a police official attached to RK Nagar police said.

Police said many school and college students, who tasted this candy got addicted and start using it. “Students find it difficult to smoke ganja openly and these candies help them get a high without anyone noticing it. It looks like just any other candy and they can openly have it even at school,” the official added. 

Sources said the recent crackdown on pan masala and ghutka and the increased cost of buying them in the black market have forced many migrant workers to opt for bhang golees. “Pan masala and ghutka are being sold widely in Chennai despite the ban. But, prices have gone up high due to the risk involved in its transportation and sale. So bhang golees are an effective alternative,” a police official said.